Rebound check for starter drives



Oct. 18, 1932. SEKELLA 1,883,418

REBOUND CHECK FOR STARTER DRIVES Filed July 30. 1951 INVENTOR y "/0z.ost0n S/ek/eLl/a/ A TTORNEY Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STAT-ES PATENT OFFICE.

YOUSTON SEKELLA,'OF ELMIRA HEIGHTS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO ECLIPSE MACHINE COMPANY, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK REBOUND CI-IECK FOR STARTER DRIVES Application filed July 30,.

types of starter gearing.

' It is another object of the invention to 7 provide such a device which is .adapted to positively arrest the pinion when it is thrown 1 out of mesh and hold it in idle position as long as the motor is spinning.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device which is normally in inoperative position whereby it offers no obstruction to the initial meshing movement of the pinion, but is moved into operative position by the spinning of the motor shaft.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingin which:

Fig. l is a side elevation partly in section of a starter drive embodying a preferred form of my invention showing the parts in idle position;

Fig. 2 is a detail ing position;

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a second embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a detail in plan view of the locking device illustrated in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Referring first to Fig. l of the drawing there is illustrated a starting motor 1 with an extended armature shaft 2 having an outboard support 3 adjacent a member 4 such as showing the parts inlock- V the flywheel gear of an engine to be started.

An automatic drive for connecting and disconnecting the motor shaft 2 to the engine member 4 is provided comprising a power member in the form of. a screw shaft 5 freely 1931. Serial No. 553,943.

into and out of mesh with the engine member a 4. The pinion is normally retained in its idle position againstthe heel 25 of the tlireadson shaft 5 as shown in Fig. 1 by yielding means such as an anti-drift spring 13. As shown this spring is mounted on a smooth portionof the shaft 5 and cooperates with a stop nut 14 at one end and a stepped ring 15 at the other end which ring serves as a bearing for the front end of the pinion and alsoserves as a housing for the'spring 13 and a'spacer for the pinion 12 when the pinion is in'driving position. 7

According to the present invention, the teeth of the pinion 12 are extended rear-, wardly to form an annular series of projections 16 spaced outwardly from the shaft 5. A latch 17 is pivoted asindicated at 18 in a longitudinal groove 19 (Fig. 2) in the shaft 5 with its nose 21 normally held in the space between the projections16 and the shaft by yielding means such as a spring 22.

The latch is provided with a weighted portion 23 of sufficient mass to overcome the force of the. spring 22 and cause the latch to swing outwardly when the shaft is spinning rapidly to bring the nose 21. of the. latch into the path of the projections 16 as illustrated in F ig..2,

thus "locking the pinion in its idle position as long as the shaft continues to spin. The.

locking position of latch 17 is. preferably defined by a heel 2O thereon engaging the bottom of the groove 19. The trailingedge of pass over the latch in a forward direction when the pinion is thrown out to its idle position. i

In the operation of thedevice, and starting with the parts in the positions shown in:

Fig. 1, actuation of the motor causes rotation of the armature shaft 2 in the direction of the arrow a, which rotation is transmitted by the spring 6 to the screw shaft 5. Since the latch 17 is initially held in its inoperative psition by the spring 22, the rotation of the shaft will traverse the pinion 12 into mesh with the engine member 4, until the spacing ring 15 abuts against the stop nut 14. Rotation is then transmitted to the engine member 4 for cranking purposes.

WVhen the engine becomes self-operative, the driving load is released from the motor which accordingly spins rapidly, causing the latch 17 to move outwardly into its locking position as defined by the heel 20 of said latch.

The rapid rotation of the engine member 4 causes the pinion 12 to overrun the shaft 5, whereby the inion is threaded back on said shaft to its i le position. When the pinion is thrown back to its idle position, the projections 16 thereon pass over the bevelled nose 21 of the latch 17, but when the pinion strikes the heels 25 of the threads on shaft 5, rebounding of the pinion back toward meshing position with the engine member is 1positively prevented by the latch 17 which olds the pinion in its idle position until the operator causes the motor to be deenergized.

In Fig. 4:, another embodiment of the invention is illustrated showing a somewhat different form of locking means. In this embodiment a centrifugal latch 26 is pivoted as indicated at 27, in a bracket 28 which may be fixed to the driven head 11 of screw shaft 5 in any suitable way as by brazing or weld ing. Thelatch 26 is formed with an inwardly extending nose '29 bevelled as shown at 31 (Fig. 5) and adapted to engage between the projections 16 of pinion 12 when moved outwardly by centrifugal force against the ac The operation of this form of the invention is the same as the embodiment first described except that the latch 26 when in normal position rests with its nose 29 against the side of the driven head 11 of shaft 5 instead of in the space between the shaft and the projections 16.

Although certain forms of this invention have been shown and described in detail it will be understood that various other forms are possible and changes may be made in the proportions and arrangements of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is 1. In an enginestarter, a power member,

'- a driving member mounted thereon for rota-ry movement thereof and therewith and for longitudinal movement into and out of engagement with a member of an engine to be started, and means on said power member adapted to be moved by centrifugal force into position to engage and lock said driving member against .rotary movement with respect to said power member.

2. In an engine starter, a power member, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement thereof and therewith and for longitudinal movement into and out of engagement with a member of an engine to be started, said driving member having a projection formed thereon, and a latch mounted on said power member and arranged to be moved by centrifugal force into position to engage said projection and lock the driving member against rotary movement on said power member. I

3. In an engine starter, a power member, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement thereof and therewith and for longitudinal movement'into and out of engagement with a member of an engine to be started, said driving member having an axial projection formed on one end thereof, and a latch movably mounted on said power member, normally out of the path of movement of the driving member butadapted to be moved by centrifugal force into position to engage said projection and lock the driving member in its idle position. 7

4. An engine starter drive including a power shaft, a pinion mounted for rotation thereon and therewith, and connected to be moved thereby into and out of engagement with a member of an engine to be started, said pinion having axially extending teeth, and a latch pivoted on said shaft and arranged to be moved by centrifugal force into position to engage said teeth and lock the pinion in its idle position.

5. An engine starter drive including a power shaft, a pinion mounted for rotation thereon and therewith, and connected to be moved thereby into and out of engagement with a member of an engine to be started, the teeth of said pinion being extended rearwardly to form axial projections, anda latch pivoted on said shaft'to swing radially in an axial plane and arranged to be moved by centrifugal force into position to engage said projections when the pinion is in its idle position.

6. An engine starter drive including, a power shaft, a pinion mounted for rotation thereon and therewith, and connected to be moved thereby into and out of engagement with a member of an engine to be started, the teeth of said pinion being extended rearwardly to form axial projections, and a latch pivoted on said shaft to swing radially in an axial plane and arranged to be moved by centrifugal force into position to engage said projections when the pinion is in its idle specification.

YOUSTON SEKELLA. 

